A Modern Knight Or Errant Foolidol season ten | week 22 Turn Back or Forge Ahead?

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One Thursday in June, Harry Hargrave came home after a typically awful day at work and found a message waiting for him.

Or, not exactly waiting, more along the lines of carved into the dining room table in blazing ten-inch letters:

A Quest is in Store

Huh? Harry thought. What quest? I work in an office.

He put the fire out, and looked around for some sort of additional message. There was a scroll on the mantel, which he unrolled to read the following:

Greetings, Noble Gentleman.

Terrible times are upon Us, for the King's Daughter has been taken by Thieves from another Realm. The King now calls upon his greatest Heroes and Warriors to rescue her.

You have the Honor of having been Summoned to take up this Quest.

This must be some kind of prank—probably those jokers over in accounting. Harry read the opening again, with its pompous language and random and excessive use of capital letters.

The Princess cannot long survive so far from the Kingdom. Her Vile Captors have offered Three Indications of where best to begin the Search:

~ Meet the Monster of the Middle Forest

~ Consult the Wizard of the River Temple

~ Journey to the Underground Chambers of the Tournament Hall

His Majesty implores You to come to his Aid and embark upon the Path of your Choosing.

~*~*~

Well, this is ridiculous. Harry dropped the scroll on the kitchen counter. What Kingdom? We have a President, not a King, and as far as I remember he has two sons and no daughters. Is this some kind of "Nigerian prince" scam with a twist?

He was tired, he was hungry, and whatever the whole scroll thing was about, it was the last thing he needed right now. On the other hand, if someone had kidnapped his mother or his baby sister, he would be out of his mind with worry, and hoping someone—anyone—would help him.